The Second Time Around
by Laurabeast
Summary: What if Klaus didn't stay in New Orleans, and when he came back to help kill Silas things went wrong, what happens when Bonnie uses expression to save her friend, how can one act of desperation change everything? Klaus/Caroline Rebekah/Stefan Damon/Elena coupling, mostly about Klaus and Caroline.
1. Chapter 1

**I own nothing, but I hope you like it. Please review! **

Caroline watched as Silas ripped her heart out of her chest while Klaus ran towards her at inhuman speed. She saw him force the cure down his throat and rip his head off then he was at her side tears falling from his rough cheek.

"No Caroline, love please, I can't lose you." he pleaded kissing her for the first time, she could taste the blood from his split lip, but already she was desiccating, Bonnie saw it too.

"No!" She screamed and a bright light flashed around her and Bonnie and she sat up in a cold sweat in her bed. She wiped her forehead with the back of her night shirt.

"Klara dear are you alright?" She heard a voice ask from outside her door, she sat up lighting her bedside candle her daylight ring clutched in her hand, she remembered her life as Caroline but this obviously wasn't it, what the hell had just happened, would happen.

She was in the past, or some really horrible Amish place, she was still a vampire she could feel that much but what the hell had happened? She got out of her straw bed to see if whoever knew her as Klara could tell her more.

"Are you alright dear?" The woman she came face to face with when she opened the door asked. Caroline looked at her in her simple tan night clothes and long brown hair.

"What happened?" She asked aloud, the woman smiled obviously pleased to hear her say something.

"You had been bitten by one of the dreadful wolf men that are plaguing our village, you had told us to leave you to die, but then you cried out, Klaus you said, I wonder dear did yo mean Nicklaus, the man who with the aid of his brothers is trying to rid us of these wolf men?" She asked, Caroline touched her hand to her lips suddenly remembering Klaus' kiss, she had finally been falling for him and then the kiss and now he was here and he didn't even know her.

"Um, ya." She whispered wishing she could see him again the way he was, she'd heard some about Klaus when he was young, he'd been even more of a monster then he had been when she first met him.

"You are cured, we must bring this to Nicklaus, we could save so many lives." The woman said looking at the scar on her neck. She knew how to save the victim of a wolf bite and she could still taste his blood on her tongue.

"Ya, take me there." She told her, she needed to see him, he would know witches and maybe they could get her back to her own time, her own Klaus, the Klaus that loved her, that she might be falling in love with.

"Of coarse, do you need to feed first?" She asked holding her wrist out, Caroline could see the bite mark on her from numerous feedings. Caroline would have declined the offer but she felt like she was starving.

After she fed she compelled the woman to tell her everything about herself that she knew. It turned out Klara had been turned by Nicklaus. He had thought she was beautiful, which she turned out to look almost exactly like herself.

He had blown into town looking for his moon stone and killing werewolves which to most of the town made him a hero since they had been plagued by them. Klara had just been a passing fancy though, too tame to catch his eye for long.

Elizabeth took her to meet there Nicklaus for the first time, she took him to the largest house in there village, it was kind of Norse looking, she could tell they weren't speaking English, but whatever it was she understood it like it was.

"Nicklaus, I have brought Klara to see you my lord, she seems to have miraculously recovered from her bite." Elizabeth told him as they walked in, the whole group of men tuned to her, Klaus had longer hair brushed back, and old looking clothes, but other then that not much had changed in the looks department, the same went for Elijah, Kol, though Rebekah and Fin seemed to be missing.

"Ah, Klara sweetheart, to what do we owe this miraculous recovery?" He asked flashing in front of her, he was only inches from her now and he didn't even know her.

"Your blood Kluas, hybrid blood is the only cure." She told him not intimidated in the least which seemed to shock him almost as much as her words. He snapped Elizabeth's neck before she could even move.

"How do you know that, where did you get my blood?" He growled, she didn't even blink she was more then used to him doing this when he got mad by now.

"You told me and you gave it to me, I'm not Klara, I'm Caroline and something happened that sent me back here and now you're gonna go get your witches and fix it. Because I am so not staying here where you don't even know me!" She told him poking him in the chest, he blinked his anger totally gone replaced by shock.

He had never been spoken to like that by a woman, who did she think she was. His brothers were all looking at her in shock too. Not one of them had met a woman as forward as her, not even Rebekah.

"And what makes you think that I would help you, and for that matter why would I believe you?" He asked still snarling at her she rolled her eyes, oh God this Klaus was so going to be a huge pain. He was enough of a pain when he did love her.

"I don't know maybe because I know you, and I know where the moon stone will be, and I know where a doppelganger will be, and a way for you to do the ritual with out killing my friend, and I know you're not really as evil as you pretend to be. So are you gonna help me or what?" She asked, leaning closer to him. He glared at her for a long moment unable to make himself step away from her, he was never one to back down from a challenge and something about her drew him to her.

"And where is the moon stone and my doppelganger?" He asked practically touching her at this point though his hands were still clasped behind his back.

"Oh no, I'm not stupid, you get your information when I get what I need. I know you, and I'm too smart to fall for your charms or your threats." She told him, Elijah came up behind him putting his hand on Nicklaus' shoulder.

"Come now brother, let's help this, Caroline was it? What could be the harm?" He asked looking at her with curiosity.

"Fine, Kol bring us your witch friend, but mark my words love if you betray me I will your heart out." He growled, Caroline leaned in closer the tip of her nose touching his and she looked him in the eye.

"Klaus I've done a lot of mean things to you, but I've never betrayed my word to you and I never will." She told him, he narrowed his eyes at her trying to catch her in a lie, but she was being honest.

"Good lord brother, are you going to kill her or kiss her?" Kol asked as he came back with a small tan woman in a plain dress.

"Quiet Kol!" He snarled stepping back from Caroline, the witch walked over to her quietly with a small smile.

"I'm Lilandra, and you I see are no longer Klara, a sad fact, Klara was a kind woman, but I see you are much more important, give me your hand." She told her, Caroline held her hand out for Lilandra. The small brunette took her hand with her tiny rough calloused hands, her head fell back her eyes rolling up.

"No!" She screamed dropping Caroline's hand Lilandra's hands going to her heart looking at Caroline with pity and shock.

"Oh my child, I am so sorry. Bonnie saved you sent you back to a incarnation of yourself so you could both live. I can't send you back, child your body is dead, he held you in his arms spilled his precious tears and watched you die, but you can change that now." She told Caroline looking back at Klaus who furrowed his brow at Lilandra.

"What do you mean I held her, why would I be so weak as to care for her, love is our greatest weakness!" He snarled at her as if it ere somehow Lilandra's fault that she tempted him.

"I mean what I say Nicklaus, she is your weakness, and your strength, your soul mate, But more then that, she will change things for you, she will make your life so much better, or infinitely worse. I'm sorry child, but trust that your life will be full of opportunity, there's a whole world out there waiting for you as they say." She told her with a knowing smile, Caroline smiled pulling Lilandra into a hug grateful to know in some small way that her Klaus was still there.

"Rubbish!" Klaus growled, Kol laughed putting his arm around Lilandra with a wicked smile.

"Oh Come now brother we all fall to such weakness once or twice, don't be such a spoil sport, I like her. In fact if you don't want her, I'll take her off your hands." Kol joked, Klaus snarled the idea of Kol touching her made his blood boil and he had no idea why. He refused to believe that this woman was important to him.

"Hey, don't even think about it buster I don't belong to any of you, and in all honesty you've always been kind of a dick to me." She told him, they were all shocked by her language. Klaus flashed in front of her.

"I gave you what you asked for now tell me what you know, you insufferable woman!" He ordered she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You gave me part of what I wanted, so I'll give you part of what you want. It's gone be a bit of a wait so don't worry, you won't miss it." She told him with a smirk turning to walk away, he flashed in front of her just like she knew he would.

"Don't turn your back on me!" He snarled, she looked at him with nothing but false confidence in her expression.

"Or what, hu Klaus your gonna kill me, big deal apparently I'm already dead, not to mention I know more then a few things you need. So stop with this puffed up crap and show me to my room, because I'm so not sleeping in the pile of hay I woke up in!" She told him, he growled again for good measure.

"Fine, follow me!" He snarled tuning to the stairs, she did, he lead her up to a room at the end of the hall, it was a big room with a huge bed that almost looked comfy.

"There, does this suite your taste sweetheart or do you have more demands before you tell me what I want to know?" He asked his calm exterior returning his hands still clasped behind his back tightly.

"Klaus, you precious doppelganger doesn't show up until 2009 there really is no rush, and I'm in no hurry to exhaust my leverage, like I said I do know you." She told him putting her hand on his chest and giving him a look that said she had him wrapped around her finger. He growled slamming both hands against the wall on either side of her.

"That's over three hundred years from now!" He growled once again only inches from her, she smiled patting his chest without a care in the world.

"Then you better get used to having me around." She told him just daring him to challenge her, he dropped his hands in frustration turning away from her.

"Why do you want to stay here, I'm certainly not in love with you, and I never will be, why not just give me the information and leave?" He asked her she smiled looking him up and down remembering what he'd said the first time she asked why he'd invited her to that dance.

"Perhaps I just enjoy you Klaus, or perhaps I just enjoy ruffling your feathers." She told him closing the door to the room he'd given her letting out a deep sigh as she leaned against the door. She was flushed and nervous, how was she going to wait three hundred years to see her friends again. Not to mention what was going to change because of her.

Klaus stood outside her door for a long moment just seething, who was this woman, she was beautiful, but Klara had been too and she had not enthralled him so. He was furious that she was holding his information hostage, though he knew she was smart to do it.

He would have killed her if she'd told him already, perhaps she really did know more about him then he thought. She obviously wasn't afraid of him so he would need to change his tactics, tomorrow he would charm the information out of her. He returned to his brothers after he had composed himself sufficiently.

"I like her brother." Kol joked sitting in his chair casually sipping his wine, Klaus growled taking up his own cup.

"As do I brother, she has no fear for you, I think she'll be good for you, keep you in your place." Elijah chuckled from his own hair, how had she turned his brothers against him with only a few words to them.

"She's going to be an issue, but she'll break, then I can dispose of her." Klaus told them, Kol shook his head.

"Tell me you aren't so foolish brother, Lilandra has never been wrong, she told you how much worse you could make your life if you don't accept this." Kol offered, Kluas laughed shaking his head at Kol's naivety.

"Don't be absurd brother, I don't think even your witch could know such things." Klaus told them sounding full of himself.

"Are you willing to risk your happiness on that chance?" Elijah asked, Kulas rolled his eyes downing his drink.

"Not you too Elijah, she's nothing to me, and a witch's word won't magically change that for me." He growled going back towards his own room which shared a wall with the one he'd given to Caroline. He could hear her on the other side of the wall turning in her bed, he would never sleep like this, she would drive him mad.

The next morning Caroline woke up very late after very little sleep putting on a dress she found in the wardrobe, the stupid thing was a pain to get on, but Caroline was not on to be bested by fashion. Klaus waited for her at the table down stairs with a slight black haired woman.

"Sleep well love?" He asked, she glared at him.

"No because someone..." She said pointedly. "Kept mumbling about me tossing and turning, which by the way would have stopped if that someone could have managed to stop freaking out for like a second." She told him going over to one of the chairs, before she could even touch it he flashed over to it pulling it out for her.

"Allow me, I am dreadfully sorry if kept you up. As it was pointed out to me I was far from amiable last night. I don't take kindly to having my hand forced." He told her she sat down letting him push her chair into the table.

"I know, I know a lot more about you then you think." She told him matter-of-factly, he gave her that tight lipped smile he had that she'd come to recognize as a sign that he was about to try and manipulate her by being way nicer then he wanted to be.

"Breakfast?" He asked gesturing to the woman who held her wrist out to her, Caroline wasn't fond of the direct meal, it made her feel creepy but she was hungry and there wound be blood bags for decades. She bit her wrist holding it over a cup until it stopped bleeding then took the cup.

"Thank you, what's your name?" She asked the woman, she looked to Klaus who just nodded as if giving her permission to speak.

"Charlotte miss, thank you for asking." She said softly, Caroline smiled sweetly at the shy woman.

"Well Charlotte thank you for breakfast, I'm Caroline. Don't let Klaus scare you, he's a big softy if you get to know him." She told Charlotte, who tried hard to suppress a smile, Klaus shot her a look of irritation before he composed himself.

"You can go." He told Charlotte, as Caroline sipped at her cup, Charlotte nodded hurrying towards the door.

"Well that was rude, I want to see our little village here, are you gonna at least show me around or should I ask Kol?" She asked drinking down the last of her breakfast, Klaus narrowed his eyes at her.

"I would be honored to escort you sweetheart but you'll have to wait until the sun goes down." He told her, she smirked getting up and going to the open door.

"According to whom?" She asked looking back at him with the light casting a halo in her golden tresses, and he caught himself staring and had to blink to un-stick his eyes and compose himself.

"And where did you get a daylight ring sweetheart?" He asked flashing over to her with a look of curiosity on his handsome features.

"Bonnie made it for me, ya know I think I like your hair better short, you had that rugged thing going for you, this just isn't you." She told him flicking his hair off his shoulder, Klaus scowled at her there was nothing wrong with his hair. He had kept his hair this way his whole life, he certainly wouldn't change for this insufferable woman.

"Well are you coming or what?" She asked snapping him out of his thoughts, she had walked away from him and was quite a few paces away at this point. He took long hurried strides to catch up with her.

They walked through the village out towards the forest, wherever she was it was beautiful here, there were the prettiest wild flowers growing everywhere and after a while they came to a picturesque little river.

"You had a painting of this place in your house, have you painted it already?" She asked kneeling down to unlace her boots.

"No, and my art is not something I share lightly." He told her a little unsettled that he'd supposedly shown her his work. It was one of the few vulnerabilities he had and he didn't share it with just any one.

"I always liked that painting, it always made me wish I was here with my feet in the cool water." She told him taking off her other boot and hopping onto the large rock near the middle of the river. She tucked her dress under her in the warm summer sun dangling her feet in the water and leaning back to soak up it's warmth.


	2. Chapter 2

He couldn't take his eyes off her as she basked there, the sun shining through the leaves painting her with gold, her long tresses shining like the sun it's self. He could see where this fiery maiden could have drawn his attention. Perhaps he would paint this scene after all.

"Enjoying yourself Sweetheart?" He asked flashing out to her standing in her light, she frowned opening her eyes.

"This is exactly how I imagined it would be, down to every detail." She told him before she flashed up pushing him over into the water. He only had a second to be shocked before he was hit by the cold water. He burst through the surface of he water prepared to be pissed, but then he saw her standing there waiting to see if he was okay before she bust into laughter and he couldn't help but crack a smile.

"You've done it now love." He growled grabbing her around the waist at inhuman speed and tossing her into the water with. The look of shock and horror in her eyes was comical, he thought she would be mad like most women he knew, but she surfaced with a smile.

"Jerk!" She yelled splashing him while she giggled, it had been a life time since he'd had this kind of fun. With inhuman strength there splash fight got a little out of hand and before they knew it, any one watching would have thought it was raining.

"Wow!" Caroline's breath caught as she looked at something he didn't see he flashed to her side to see what it was that had enthralled her. The spray of falling water had caught the light and cast a rainbow that hung low in the air.

He looked over at her look of wonder and once again couldn't keep the smile from his lips, he didn't know how this woman did that to him but it irritated him so he splashed her again. She gaped at him then turned and attempted to dunk him so he threw her over his shoulder.

"Hey, cheater!" She squeaked struggling to escape his arms while she laughed with him, he dropped her on the shore falling to the ground next to her while they laughed until it was hard to breath. Klaus had never been so amused by anyone, when his breathing had finally settled he looked over at Caroline.

"Maybe you aren't so different." She whispered with a radiant smile, she was soaked and filthy as he was sure he was too, but even still.

"You are a peculiar woman to say the least Caroline." He told her, she closed her eyes when she heard him use her name remembering the last time she'd heard her name in that accent. He watched a look of sadness cross her porcine features and it made his chest ache somehow, which only made him mad.

"So are you ever going to tell me where to find my moonstone?" He asked, she looked over at him as if she had just remembered that he wasn't the man who had known her for however long he had supposedly been with her.

"Mystic falls." She told him simply but when he went to move she smirked. "1864." She added deflating his excitement instantly.

"that's over a hundred and fifty years from now." He told her with a bit of a scowl, she just shrugged.

"Good thing you live forever." She told him tossing a clump of grass at him, then a thought occurred to her.

"And you have to let me go get it." She added, he tossed his own hand full of grass at her trying not to glare, how was he to charm her if he was nothing but a bother after all?

"And why would I do that prey tell?" He asked looking at her in disbelief, she just batted her eye lashes at him like it was the dumbest question ever.

"Because otherwise you'll have to wait another two hundred years to get your hands on it." She told him simply, he sat up leaning on his hand.

"Why exactly would that be?" He asked brushing a strand of her wet hair aside, she knew he was trying to seduce the information out of him, but it still made her stomach flutter the way his touch always had.

"I'm too smart to be seduced by you remember." She whispered not nearly as convincing as she wanted to be, he had spent a lot of time breaking down her walls, it was hard to remember to keep them in place around this Klaus.

"Tell me why I can't retrieve the moon stone myself." He said looking her in the eyes as his dilated, she realized hat he was doing a second too late.

"Because it's a delicate mater, if you interfere and the Salvatore brothers aren't turned then Elena will die and you'll never break the curse." She told him then covered her mouth flashing away from him feeling betrayed. She had never dreamed he would compel her, she knew he could, but it had never been a danger before.

She looked back at him all her hurt shining in her tear filled sea foam colored eyes and for a second Klaus felt genuinely guilty for what he had done, then he remembered he was not weak, and he did not care for her.

"You really are nothing like him." She hissed flashing away, she just kept going until she was exhausted, then started frantically searching for vervaine. Why hadn't she thought about this sooner, she knew he wasn't the man she knew, but she had still trusted him and his family without question.

It took almost an hour to find the flower she wanted, she had found some that looked right, but they hadn't burned, but now she had a dress full of the horrid plant.

She ripped the slip under her dress into one large square and a long thin strip, she ground them into a powder and collected as much of it as she could find into her square of fabric. She tied it into a pouch and tucked it into her bodice so Klaus wouldn't find it swallowing a pinch.

It burnt like acid in her throat, but she knew that he couldn't force anything on her like that, ever again! She clutched the bag through her dress letting the tears fall now that she knew he could never betray her like that again.

Klaus had seethed at the idea that he was falling short of himself, of coarse she would compare him to the person he had never been. He would have left her out there to die for all he cared, but she still had information he needed.

She had run in circles all over the woods, he was finding it had to track her down, every time he though he'd caught her trail it flitted away and by the time evening was setting in he was getting worried that he may have lost her.

She heard him before she saw him and did her best to compose herself, she was still damp and filthy, but she would not let him see her cry. She got to her feet turning to him with her best hate filled glare.

"What come to force me into something else?" She snarled, Klaus sighed when he saw her, he should compel her to stay by his side until he had all the information from her.

"You will stay with me until I know everything love." He told her trying to compel her again, she glared at him walking up to stand by his side, no need to let him in on her secret quite yet.

"Good, now you will be loyal only to me sweetheart." He told her, she gave him the saddest smile he'd ever seen and it bothered him.

"Until today you never would have had to compel that from me." She told him, he looked at her with a scrutinizing glare trying to catch her in a lie that wasn't there.

"I don't believe you." He told her, she shook her head remembering another moment when she'd called him on this, the night of the ball where he'd shown her his art for the first time.

"You're so spoiled, just snap your fingers or flash that look and get whatever you want! I get it, your father didn't love you so you assume that no one else will either, and that's why you compel people, but that's not how that works! You don't connect with people because you don't even try to get to understand them." She growled, he growled at her his long hair stuck to his stubble covered cheeks.

"Never speak to me like that again!" He told her, she smirked reaching up and touching his face lightly then full on slapped him.

"Deal with it!" She yelled turning to leave, he flashed in front of her seething with irritation and confusion.

"Don't turn your back on me!" He yelled back, she got right in his face matching his anger without much effort.

"You can't control me, not ever again. If you so much as think about hurting me you'll never get what you want, so back off!" She snarled flashing away from him back towards the village, he gaped at the empty space that she left behind.

How had she resisted his compulsion, no one outside his family had ever resisted him like that? Something about her made him seething mad and stupid happy at the same time. She was a challenge like none before her, she was so confidant and innocent, reckless but smart. She fascinated him and that bothered him even more then it normally would if the witch hadn't implied she was somehow his soul mate.

Caroline found herself locked in he room Klaus had given her, she hid the Vervaine behind a painting frame so Klaus wouldn't find it. After a few minutes someone knocked on the door, Caroline sighed, but went to open the door.

"Hello lady Caroline, I was sent to see if you required anything." Charlotte told her when she opened the door. Caroline sighed letting her in the room.

"Who sent you?" She asked thinking Klaus had sent her to keep an eye on her since he couldn't compel her. She smiled letting her thick black hair drape over her delicate features, and Caroline found herself wishing there was something she could do to help her.

"Elijah miss, he worries for all the women Sir Klaus takes an interest in." She explained, Caroline chuckled, ya if any of them were going to worry about her it would be Elijah.

"Ya, he's a man of honor, if I'm stuck back here I should really try and help him, he was always nice to me." She said mostly to herself, Charlotte sighed a breathy sound that gave away her feelings for the elder Mikaelson brother.

"He truly is miss." She sighed, sitting down on Caroline's bed then gasping as if she remembered she was in her room and quickly got off the bed.

"Don't worry, you can act however you want with me, I won't control you like they do." She told Charlotte, who visibly relaxed as she went over to her bed side table with a small knife and filled a cup for Caroline.

While she was turned around Caroline went behind the picture taking a pinch of vervaine and replacing the picture at inhuman speed. She held it out to Charlotte with a slight smile.

"Here eat this, then at least you can make your own choices." Caroline told her, Charlotte did as she was told and Caroline drank the contents of her cup with a smile.

"Thank you miss Caroline, most people here aren't so nice to me, except Elijah of coarse." She mumbled the last bit, Caroline smiled a nefarious plan to help her while away the years until she could have her Klaus back.

Charlotte had drawn her a bath already, and went about warming the water for her, the talked while Charlotte combed the dirt and grass out of her hair. It was nice to clean off, but she missed her shower already and it was a bit awkward to have Charlotte in there with her.

"Thank you for being my friend here Charlotte, I think I might be stuck here for a while, these dresses are murder though, do you think you could help me with that tomorrow?" She asked, Charlotte smiled nodding happily.

"Yes miss Caroline I would be honored. I'll see you in the morning." She told Caroline before leaving her to her own devices. Caroline didn't wait around in her room for long, she wasn't tired and she would not hide.

She decided instead to explore the house, it was rather large and after a few empty or locked bedrooms she ended up in a sitting room where Elijah was sitting by a fire reading something. Caroline went over to the comfy looking couch and sat down tucking her bare feet under her lap.

"Good evening Caroline, I trust it finds you well." Elijah said putting his book down on his lap to talk with Caroline.

"As well as can be expected after a day of dealing with Klaus, I mean could he be civil for like two seconds. Charlotte was nice enough to stop by and see if I was okay earlier though." She told him with a sweet smile, Elijah couldn't help the hint of a smile that crossed his lips.

"She is a charming young woman." Elijah added, Caroline tried not to smirk, she loved meddling with peoples love lives.

"Ya, she seems to really like you, I'm glad at least one of you treats her alright." Caroline said quietly looking off into the fire, Elijah studied her for a long time trying to see if she really cared or if she was trying to manipulate him the way his family often did.

"You have genuine concern for her don't you, it's rare to meet someone who actually cares." He commented, she looked over towards him and just shrugged.

"Ya well if it weren't for your brother I would never have living this long." She mumbled, she hadn't really meant to say that out loud, but she couldn't help but bring him up.

"Is that so?" He said curiously, she grimaced wishing she'd kept that to her self, she wasn't sure how much she could trust any of them.

"Ya, he convinced me that there was a whole world of genuine beauty out there for me and I had forever to have it all. It's stupid, but he saved me so many times, I just miss, I miss who he was, or will be, whatever." Caroline whispered, Elijah stared openly now like the idea of someone caring for Klaus of there own free will was madness.

"I never would have imagined our Niklaus could inspire such affection." Elijah said sounding as if he didn't believe she felt for him without some sort of manipulation.

"Ya well I hated him for a long time, but under all his violence and bravado he's decent, and passionate, and deep, and broken. He needs people, but he's too insecure to even try and get to know people." She told him, Elijah chuckled taking a sip of whatever he had in his cup.

"You do seem to know him well." He laughed, Caroline hid her face in her hands, she felt like an idiot.

Klaus had a bath drawn for him then shooed his servants so he could get clean, he was still frustrated by Caroline and her refusal to give him what he wanted. He would never have admitted it even to himself, but seeing her in tears feeling betrayed by what he had done had put a knot in his stomach that he couldn't shake.

Klaus attempted to comb out his hair to little avail, and after only a few tries he became frustrated and simply hacked it off in a close crop calling in a servant to fix the clumsy cutting he had done. Now Klaus stood at the mirror in his room examining the new style, she was right it suited him much better.

Caroline sat with Elijah for a while just thinking about the past, she remembered when everything had started to change with them after she'd helped him with the imaginary white oak splinter, but she hadn't realized just how much she liked him until he had agreed to let Tyler come back to town.

_It had been two weeks since she'd called and told Tyler he could cme home, she'd spent four straight days with Klaus trying to convince him to say yes and it had payed off, but she hadn't heard from Tyler yet. She was thinking of asking Klaus to go with her to the prom her finger hovering over dial when a gust of wind hit her._

_"Tyler!" She gasped looking over her shoulder and seeing it was him who had flashed into her room._

_"Hey Care." He said not sounding nearly as happy as she thought he should be, she launched herself at him in a tackle of a hug and he held her for a long moment. She pulled back to kiss him and he took a step back stopping her._

_"What's wrong?" She asked looking him over worriedly, he frowned running his hand through his hair._

_"Look Care, I, I really, I love you I do, but with everything between you and Klaus, and I, I found a pack up in Montana. I'm there alpha now, they need me Care." He told her, she couldn't believe what she was hearing, was this really happening._

_"What are you saying, what stuff with me and Klaus?" She asked sure she was Klaus' friend now, but that was it! Tyler looked at the floor still rubbing his neck uncomfortably._

_"Oh come on Care, he's in love with you how else could you have convinced him to let me be, but that's not my point." He told her, she took a step back shaking her head like if she could just get away from this none of it would have happened._

_"Then what is!?" She asked, her sadness coming across as anger, Tyler responded in kind._

_"That I'm not anymore, I, it doesn't matter, I just came to say good bey in person, I'm not coming back." Tyler said flashing out of the house, she never did see him again, she was left there in tears. She hadn't noticed when she'd hit dial on her phone, but as soon as she collapsed on her bed Klaus flashed in the window Tyler had left._

_"What's wrong love?" He asked crouched down at her side, she collapsed into him, and he wrapped his arms around her picking her off the floor. He took her to her bed and he'd held her all night without a word. _

That had been the time she'd realized she didn't love Tyler, she loved Klaus, and she'd asked him to the prom. Everything had been perfect that night.

_"Good evening my sweet Caroline." Klaus said with his incredibly charming smile, Caroline bit back a smile as he pinned a perfect orchid corsage to her dress. They matched nicely with her in a long slim deep purple dress with pearl lace, and Klaus in a stunning tux with the same color tie. _

_"Thank you." She whispered, Klaus smirked holding his arm out for her to take._

_"Shall we love?" He asked, she took his arm happily and let him lead her to the limo opening the door for her and helping her in. They got there later then most people, and Elena was already dancing with Stephan, and Matt was spinning April to the soft music._

_"May I have this dance love?" He asked holding his hand out for her and she grinned taking his hand._

_"Yes you may." She giggled following him out onto the floor, they spent the night wrapped in each others arms, and then he lead her outside so they could be alone, that had been when Silas had shown up._

Caroline sighed shifting to get up, she was suddenly exhausted, she hadn't even gotten one night with him, ugh life was stupid. Just as she wen to leave she ran right into Kol who gave er a sickly sweet smile.

"Well hello Caroline, leaving so soon?" Kol asked, She took a step back out of his personal space, Kol was the brother she knew he least about, other then they'd killed hi to find the cure. She remember the look on Klaus' face when he was staring at his desiccated body, even when she'd hated him that look he had.

"Well I was getting tired, why?" She asked looking him over, he had the shortest hair of the three, but a bit of a beard for now, she remembered how clean shaven the two of them had been when she knew them, only Elijah kept well shave now.

"I was just coming to see if perhaps you would do me the honor of accompanying me on a bit of a stroll tomorrow since you seemed to have so much fun with my brother. How did you both get soaked any way?" He asked she laughed remembering the better part of the day, she ran her fingers through her silky hair, Charlotte had brushed it until it shined.

"I pushed him in the river, he may have retaliated, and I would love to walk with you tomorrow, perhaps Elijah and Charlotte could come with us." She said looking back at Elijah who looked over at them a bit shocked.

"Unfortunately I have a previous engagement, but thank you for asking Caroline." Elijah offered, Kol laughed shaking his head.

"Seems it's just the two of us darling." He smirked, Caroline rolled her eyes at the youngest Mikaelson brother.

"I think I can handle that, good night you two." She told them sidestepping Kol and going back up to her room.


	3. Chapter 3

Charlotte woke her up the next morning true to her word and helped her into one of the nicer dresses in the wardrobe, they were all so hard to get on. They both had a pinch of vervaine and Caroline drank her breakfast before she went downstairs.

"You look ravishing dear Caroline, shall we?" Kol asked holding his arm out for her to take the way Klaus often had. She smiled at the memories as she took his arm, it wasn't the same as when she walked with Klaus, but it wasn't as bad as she'd expected.

"So Caroline tell me about this future you came from, what happened to us?" He asked walking her towards the center of the village so she could see the town it's self.

"I don't think you really want to know that." Caroline told him, he frowned his step faltering for a second.

"What happens that's so bad as that?" He asked returning to his regular stride, she sighed knowing he wouldn't drop it.

"You died trying to stop us from waking up Silas, which turned out to be a huge mistake on our part, he's the guy who killed me." She told him, he faltered again but it didn't take long for him regain composure.

"Then why would you do it, raise Silas?" He asked leading her to the little pond at the edge of the village that connected to the river she'd been in with Klaus.

"We were trying to save my best friend, it was stupid, we were constantly saving her ass and she never did anything to help herself. It could have gone so different if everyone had stopped fighting each other and worked together." Caroline sighed, Kol chuckled which seemed like a good sign considering she'd just told him she'd seen him die.

"Well dear now that your back here with us perhaps you can change that, pretty girl like you could change the whole world, with forever to do it in." He told her with the best charming smile he could muster after hearing about his own death.

"I'll certainly try, you're not nearly so snarky and mean as when I knew you." She laughed, he put his hand over his heart feigning hurt.

"I'm crushed, my future sister, I just met you and already you look down on me." Kol joked Caroline laughed, she could see how Jeremy could have been Kol's friend for so long.

"You're not so bad, if only Klaus could pull his head out of his ass long enough to figure out he could really be a great guy." Caroline started out laughing, but it trailed off to a mumble, why did everything always come back to him.

What if he was never her Klaus again, what if her being here changed who he was going to be, how could she live with that. He was so different from the Klaus she was in love with, she didn't even know if she liked this Klaus.

Klaus woke up a bit late and went down to find Caroline, it was past time he got his information, she would tell him everything she knew so he could put her out of his mind, but when he got to the dining room only Elijah and Charlotte were there.

"Where is Caroline?" He asked, motioning for Charlotte to come over, he was a bit peckish and she was around.

"She and Kol went for a walk around town." Elijah told him sipping from his own cup, he had never had the heart to hurt Charlotte for his own needs, his brothers did not have the same hang up.

"Why exactly?" He asked taking Charlotte's wrist, Elijah shrugged finishing his drink.

"I suppose Kol wanted to get to know our new house guest." Elijah told him, Klaus scowled at the thought of her and Kol together and bit Charlotte's wrist roughly. He drank deep then hissed spitting out the blood as his mouth burned.

"Ragh, your woman's on vervaine!" He growled grabbing Charlotte pinning her against the wall angrily, Elijah threw him back standing between him and Charlotte. Klaus got to his feet angrily glaring at Elijah.

"Where did you get vervaine Charlotte?" Elijah asked calmly turning half away from Klaus to ask Charlotte his question.

"Lady Caroline gave it to me, I didn't know it would hurt anyone, Caroline took it too. She told me it would help me make my own choices, should I not take it?" She asked looking up at Elijah with worry in her cool blue eyes.

"Caroline, why would she be taking vervaine?" Elijah asked, Klaus looked at the floor, he knew exactly why Caroline had decided she needed vervaine. He would still get what he needed to know, he was not one to back down from a challenge.

"Let her do what she wants." He growled leaving them to wonder why she needed vervaine and why he would let her keep taking it. Klaus sniffed at the air and turned to find his brother who had apparently taken Caroline down to the pond. When he found them they were sitting together and she was laughing happily.

"What are you doing brother?" He asked sounding less then pleased what he was seeing, Caroline turned around her smile fading at the sight of him. She noticed that his hair was a lot closer to the short style he kept it in when she knew him, but she forced herself to remember what he'd done, all the bad things he'd ever done.

"Just keeping her warm for you brother." Kol joked but Klaus didn't laugh so Kol got up to leave them be. "Enjoy the day Caroline." Kol told her moving to leave, Caroline stood up too putting her hand on Kol's arm.

"You don't have to go just because he saunters up Kol, or better yet go ahead and walk me back so I don't have to be alone with him." She said looking at Klaus managing to make his name sound like a curse word.

"Don't be that way sweetheart, we had a little spat, I'm over it." He told her, she shot him a seething glare.

"Ya well I'm not." She told him flashing over in his face and poking him in the chest. "You think you can just control people whenever you want, well not with me, even with a better hair cut, I won't just snap to attention whenever you want something. So grow up Klaus, I don't need to stay here and talk to you just 'cause you want me to!" She told him going over and taking Kol's arm so he could walk her back to the house.

"Well how can I acquit myself?." He chuckled, Caroline ignored him not able to look at him with this conversation going just like another she remembered and instead started walking back with Kol. Klaus growled, what did she want from him before she'd tell him what he needed to know.

Days passed without her so much as saying a kind word to him, not that days were a long time for someone to be mad at him, Fin had been cross with him for decades at a time before he'd daggered him. Caroline on the other hand didn't have his perception of time and she was pretty sure she'd go insane if the next three hundred years was like this.

She became good friends with Charlotte and the rest of the originals though, they weren't so bad when they didn't have an agenda that involved killing her or her friends. What Kol had said kept running through her head though, could she really change everything. She would certainly try, but to do that she was gonna have to deal with Klaus, the old irritating Klaus. She kept remembering how he was when she first met him, he had been evil, she shouldn't be shocked he was now, but he could be better and she'd show him that.

"Ah, Caroline, still ignoring me love?" He asked when she came down with Charlotte, Caroline smiled Charlotte had been trying to convince her to play nice anyway.

"No Klaus, I've decided it's not worth my time to be mad at you any more, I've come to terms that you just don't measure up quite yet." She told him setting her book down on the table and letting Charlotte fill a cup for her.

"Then perhaps you would care to accompany me to the festival of the moon." He asked with his best charming smile, Caroline rolled her eyes.

"I said I as done being mad not that I wanted to spend heaps of time with you." Caroline told him Charlotte sighed.

"Come now Caroline, lord Klaus is an excellent dancer and you can't go alone to the new moon festival. Elijah and I would miss you so if you stayed home." Charlotte pleaded, Caroline sighed looking back over at Klaus.

"Can you be civil for the whole night?" Caroline asked him, he gave her a self assured smirk as if he'd won some kind of battle.

"Of coarse sweetheart, I'll be a perfect gentleman." He told her, she rolled her eyes at him again and relented.

"Fine, but you have to get me a dress, because if nothing else you do have good taste." She told him, he chuckled getting up from the table.

"Then I best go find a dress stunning enough to do you justice." He told her flashing out the door, she couldn't help but laugh. She kept catching herself thinking of him as her Klaus, and she had to shake the thought away.

"I'm so glad you're coming, we celebrate the new moon with a dance every month to celebrate a night free from the terror of the wolves. There will be feasting and drink while we dance the night away. Come I will fix your hair, and then perhaps you could help me dress in something that will catch Elijah's eye." Charlotte said happily taking her hand and pulling her up to her room, she felt like she was back in school getting ready for a dance.

Klaus knocked on the door half way through the day and when she opened it he was gone leaving a cloth bundle with a note attached to it. It reminded her of the stupid box he'd left with the beautiful blue dress in it. He obviously wasn't very good at giving gifts in person.

She took the bundle and set it on the bed to open, she took the note, it had the same flowing handwriting as his other notes to her.

A dress nearly as beautiful as you love, don't forget to save me a dance.

Klaus.

She smiled, he did know how to flatter a girl.

"Wow." Charlotte whispered as she opened the package, Caroline looked down at the dress and gasped. It was the most beautiful blue and silver flowing dress with long gloves and a stunning hair piece and necklace to match.

"He always did have good taste." Caroline whispered, it took a few more hours to get them both ready, but by the time the festival was starting they both looked stunning. They went down stairs arm and arm and both Elijah, Kol, and Klaus all looked up at them and gasped.

"You look Ravishing." Klaus told her flashing into her personal space holding his arm out for her. She smirked putting her arm on his taking his hand, she caught herself closing her eyes to relish the feeling of touching him again.

"If looks could kill, I'm glad I don't have to stand next to you I'd pale in comparison." Kol joked, Elijah waited for Charlotte at the bottom of the stairs with a bit of a smile.

"You're stunning my dear." He whispered to her taking her hand, Charlotte blushed smiling brightly.

"I'm off to meet my date, you kids have fun." Kol laughed leaving them alone followed by Elijah and Charlotte.

"Remember you promised to be civil." Caroline told him as he walked her down the stairs, he chuckled.

"Yes love I remember, I am more then capable of spending an evening being kind to a beautiful woman." He told her, she couldn't help but smile at his compliments and lean into him contentedly.

"Good." She mumbled walking with him forgetting about all the bad things he'd done if just for a minute, she didn't know how he always did that to her, but she would ignore her better judgment for the night.

"May I have this dance?" He asked holding his other hand out to her, she took it happily letting him lead her out into the mass of dancers. He spun her elegantly around putting her other hand in his as they danced slowly.

She lost herself in the closeness and the music, he still smelled the same, with that musk he always had and the crisp smell of the out doors. She had always thought it was some kind of body wash that made him sell so good, but apparently it was just his natural sent.

"You look like you may actually be enjoying your self love." Klaus whispered in her ear a little closer then he strictly should have been, she smiled at the feel of his warm breath tickling her neck.

"Ya well, Some of my best memories are of dancing with you." She whispered not really wanting him to know that, but she was too relaxed to keep her walls up.

"And what would those be sweetheart?" He asked hopping to get more information out of her while he reveled in the feel of her in his arms though he'd never admit it.

"We've danced a few times, we danced the night I died." She whispered, she couldn't bring herself to look at him, because she knew he wasn't the man she'd danced with at it hurt more then she'd ever admit.

"You really loved me didn't you?" He asked in total disbelief, he had lost all pretenses of charm or manipulation. She looked up at him, he looked so much like she remembered him, and she smiled softly.

"I used to hate you for obvious reasons, but you never gave up on me, we were just starting when I died, it was pretty tragic." She told him, he frowned he kept finding himself wishing he knew what he had done to charm her in this future life. He needed his information after all.

"I'm sorry I compelled you love, I'm not fond of having my hand forced even if it is by a beautiful woman such as yourself." He told her, she shook her head letting it fall on his shoulder while she chuckled.

"I remember, I also remember that it's the only way to get you to do anything you don't want to do, because you're a stubborn ass." She told him, he laughed spinning her around to the music then catching her smoothly.

"I am at that, but you seem just as stubborn love. Going so far as to ingest vervaine to keep my information hostage." He commented, she shrugged innocently.

"Well I have to be to deal with you." She told him, and they fell into a comfortable silence while they danced.

"Hey if we're gonna keep being nice I'm gonna need a drink." She told him, he laughed jovially leading her out of the dancing area to the tables.

"Let me get that for you then love." He told her going towards the barrels of mead, Caroline looked around seeing Elijah and Charlotte going off together holding hands which made her smile, and off in the other direction Kol was flirting shamelessly with a small brunette so Caroline decided to walk over to the little pond.

"There you are love." Klaus said handing her a large cup full of mead, which she took and she drank it slowly while Klaus sat next to her.

"Thanks." She said softly leaning onto his shoulder without thinking, he wrapped his arm around her with just as little thought. They sat for a long moment before Caroline realized what she was doing.

"I can't wait till the nineteen twenties." She said trying to distract him from her pulling away from him. He looked down at her a little shocked by her sudden change in her demeanor.

"Why's that love?" He asked taking his hand back as if he too had just realized what he'd been doing. She pulled off her shoes to dangle her feet in the water with the end of her dress up around her knees.

"You told me once that women were wild in the twenties, the used to literally dance till they dropped." She told him, he thought about it for a second trying to imagine an age when women were reckless and wild like her, it sounded like fun.

"Sounds like an entertaining time." He said looking out at the water, Caroline smiled, it really did.

"I hope I'm still around for it, since you plan on killing me once you know what you need from me." She told him, he picked up a rock from next to him examining it guiltily.

"I may have exaggerated that a bit love, you forced my hand and I lost my temper, I would never hurt you, and in honesty that worries me most about you." He told her in a low whisper as if he was afraid someone might hear him.

"Well then I'll get to be around to dance until I drop and make you carry me home." She laughed, he chucked the stone out onto the water as it skipped lightly over the surface onto the other side.

"And what makes you think I would carry you any where?" He asked, she laughed looking over at him with a look of amusement.

"Right, I forgot." She said shifting to get up and about half way to her feet she slipped tossing the nearly empty cup away from her. Klaus flashed to his feet and caught her pulling her off her feet into his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck clutching herself to him as if in panic then grinned.

"See, you're always there to catch me." She whispered in his ear her lips brushing against the sensitive skin of his ear. His eyes fell shut and he moaned before he registered what it was she had said to him.

"You are dangerous." He whispered sending a shiver through her then he dropped her like a sack of potato's onto the ground. She sat there sticking her tongue out at him like a petulant child, and he laughed, he was happier there with her in that moment then he had been since his brother had died and that scared him.

After that night he was a lot more civil, though they were still distant he didn't push her for information, he had centuries for that, no he wouldn't get anything if he pushed her away as much as it pained him, he would have to play nice.

Caroline was with Charlotte swimming while the men were out hunting apparently Caroline thought it was ridiculous, but it kept them from hurting people which was one of her rules. Klaus was the only one who really minded her rules and only because he didn't like rules in general. She'd found out that Rebekah was off on the other end of the continent.

"Klaus must really love you, he never listened to any one before according to Elijah at least." Charlotte told her swimming lazily over the surface of the water.

"I don't know about that, but he has mellowed out since I first got here, he's still not nearly so sweet as when I knew him." Caroline told them, looking around she didn't know why but something had her on edge.

"Well you can't keep comparing him to the Klaus you knew, he's trying very hard to be good for you but he's still hundreds of years short of being the Klaus you knew." She told Caroline, Caroline sighed sinking under the water to pout about how long everything took these days.

When she came back up Mikael had Charlotte with an arm around her waist and the other ready to snap her neck. Caroline stopped dead she hadn't spent much time around Mikael but she knew he was terrifying.

"Don't hurt her Mikael." Caroline pleaded, Mikael looked her over curiously for a long moment before he spoke.

"I don't know how you know me or my sons, but you will send them a message, I'm coming for them." He said snapping Charlotte's neck with ease, He moved to kill her too and Caroline ran faster then she thought she could. She ran to the house, there were living people staying there besides Charlotte and it would protect her better then anything Klaus or Elijah could do, and she didn't know where they were.


	4. Chapter 4

Klaus was the first to return and what he found broke his heart, Caroline was sitting by the fire sobbing clutching her knees to her chest still in her bathing clothes. He flashed over to her side to see what was wrong and she looked up at him her eyes red and swollen from the tears.

"He killed her." She sobbed collapsing into him he didn't know who had made her cry like this but he did know whoever had done it was going to die. He held her rubbing her back gently and kissing her head whispering that it would be okay.

"Who was killed by whom?" Elijah asked as he came in, Caroline looked up at him then sobbed harder. Elijah looked around and seemed to get more worried by what he didn't see.

"Caroline where is Charlotte?" He asked, Caroline wiped the tears from her eyes trying to speak.

"She, Mikael killed her, he tried to kill me too but I ran, he wanted you to know he was coming for you. There was nothing I could do, by the time I even knew he was there she was..." Caroline broke off in a sob, Elijah stumbled back a step then composed himself going over to Caroline and setting his hand on her head.

"I know you did everything you could, thank you." He said disappearing, Caroline clung to Klaus as Kol came in, he looked around concerned.

"What happened?" He asked, Klaus looked back at him and mouthed Mikael, Kol flashed away too and Klaus looked down at Caroline.

"I know it hurts love, but we have to go." Klaus told her, she looked up at him in fury.

"No we have to kill him!" She told him getting to her feet, he shook his head reaching out to her.

"We can't love." He told he honestly Caroline shook her head vehemently, Klaus sighed he didn't have time to convince her.

"Why not what about the white oak stakes and the desiccation spell?" She asked desperate to rid the world of the man who had killed her best friend here and tried to kill her.

"The what spell now love?" He asked they had no white oak but he had never heard of this spell she was talking about and he would give anything to be able to stop his father

"The desiccation spell, you guys used it to keep him locked up for centuries, and then Bonnie used it to try and stop Alaric. Um a witch bound you guys with blood and stopped a human heart while you had your hand over the persons heart and it would stop there's too." She told him, Lilandra came down from Kol's company having over heard what they were saying.

"It could work Niklaus, it's brilliant, I could have the spell ready by tonight." She offered, Klaus looked up at her weighing the risks against the benefits.

"What do you say brothers, shall we kill our father?" Klaus asked when they joined the witch on the stairs. Klaus looked to Elijah who was usually the level headed one of there little family, but this time his eyes were rimmed with red and his vampire visage had come forward.

"I want to watch him die at my feet!" Elijah spat Kol and Klaus looked at him in surprise for a second, Caroline flashed to his side hugging him, none of them would have ever thought to comfort him, but he collapsed into her, silent tears falling from his eyes.

"Then we kill him." Klaus said quietly watching the scene before him, love made them weak what better proof then this. He had to be wherry of this himself with Caroline around for the next few hundred years.

"He won't expect it, he'll come here expecting us to be gone, we wait set up a trap, keep him busy just long enough for the spell to work." Kol put in trying to ignore the fact that Elijah was still letting Caroline comfort him while she cried, if they didn't know better it would look like he was the one comforting her.

"Let's set it up brother, leave these three to get the spell together." Klaus told Kol leading him outside. It took the whole night of gathering vervaine, spell components, and rewording spells but they were mostly prepared.

"I'm so tired, but I feel like as soon as I close my eyes he's gonna show up." Caroline whispered while she sat on the couch near Klaus. Elijah had turned his attention to there planing and hadn't so much as talked to Caroline since the hug.

"I'll wake you if I hear anything love, you're safe with us." Klaus told her, she smiled letting her eyes drift closed, Klaus let a smile play across his features, it never ceased to amaze him how much she could trust him, even after he betrayed her trust.

He put his arm over the back of the couch just watching her and listening for any sign that Mikael was close, Kol and Elijah were keeping watch while Lilandra was safely away with her brother, Caroline had taught her CPR in hopes that know one would have to die.

He was lost in keeping himself sharp and ready when she curled up on his lap, he went stalk sill looking down at her in shock. She was asleep curled up with her head on his leg while her hand clutched his to her chest, he looked around making sure his brothers were no where in sight before he let himself relax.

He ran his fingers through her soft golden hair, it wasn't hard for him to imagine letting himself go with her. Letting himself fall for her, but he couldn't afford that, not him he had to be strong, had to protect his family and break his curse, love was a weakness that he wouldn't allow.

Or so he kept telling himself while he stroked her hair his head snapped up as he heard the sound of footsteps that were too fast to be human. He woke Caroline going to his place in the plan, Caroline blinked at the sudden absence of Klaus' warmth then realized why and flashed over to the shadows to watch him in the center of the room to be the bait.

"Niklaus, I never would have imagined you would have the guts to face me, have I finally killed something you care about you worthless retch?" He asked, Klaus just smiled as Kol dropped the powdered vervaine on him like acid dust and Klaus flashed forward pressing his hand over Mikael's chest and feeling the magic run through him.

It looked like it might actually work but the spell was taking too long and Mikael was recovering, Caroline flashed behind him to hold him still but even in the past Mikael was still so much stronger then her, he threw her over his head at Klaus caught her letting himself slam into the wall to break her fall. Elijah dug his hand into Mikael's chest slamming him into his own wall.

"Why father, she was human an innocent and you killed her!" Elijah screamed into his face while the magic worked through him.

"How many innocents have you killed Elijah!" Mikael yelled back throwing Elijah away from him, Kol slammed his fist across his face, and Mikael caught sight of Klaus helping Caroline to her feet looking worried and protective. Mikael was no fool he knew he was out matched in this moment, he needed to make them come to him, on his terms.

He flashed over to Klaus throwing him at Kol and snapping Caroline's neck before disappearing with her body. Klaus tried to chase them, but he lost them somehow, he growled going back to the house to find the trail.

"We lost him, where's Caroline?" Elijah asked when Klaus returned, Klaus looked up at him angrily what kind of stupid question as that where did he think she was.

"We're going after him, we have to kill him while we have the chance." Klaus told them sniffing out the trail, Kol and Elijah nodded stepping up to follow him.

Caroline woke up in searing pain, she was staked to a wall, hands, feet, and shoulders and she hung a few inches off the ground. An involuntary scream escaped her lips, why was she always the one getting captured and tortured, what had she done.

"Ah good you're awake, Klaus seems to care about you which is interesting so now you're bait. Though he won't come for you, he'll run like the coward he is, and I'll kill you slowly. I want you to know I take no pleasure in this, but you are a monster as I am, and you have to die." He told her, she shook her head at him tears in her eyes and defiance in her expression.

"You're not trying to rid the world of monsters, your punishing your children because your wife was a slut, and was sleeping with the locals. Well guess what, klaus is going to kill you to save me, because no matter what you think, Klaus is a good man." Caroline told him, he watched her with fascination.

"You really believe that, he must have compelled you." Mikael decided, Caroline laughed looking him in the eyes.

"He couldn't if he tried." She told him, his eyes dilated to compel her just to prove a point to himself.

"You will pull your hand off that stake and stick it through your own heart." He told her, she smirked pulling her hand slowly off the stake with a scream. He smirked turning away from her, she smiled even with the pain.

She wrapped her hand around the stake pulling it from the wall and she threw it through his chest and hurried to pull out the other. Mikael screamed more from shock then actual pain, he reached back ripping the stake out as Caroline fell to the floor her feet still staked to the wall.

"Wretched woman, how, how can you resist compulsion, you are just a pathetic newly turned vampire!?" He growled ripping her from the wall the stakes in her feet tearing though the space between her big toe and the next making her scream in pain. He threw her into the far wall then flashing over in time to pin her against it painfully.

"It doesn't matter, Klaus will not come for you, and if he does I'll let him watch as I rip your heart out before I drive this through his heart." He said holding up a pale wooden stake that must have been white oak.

"You're pathetic, your son died forever ago and you flipped out and killed all the rest of your kids so nothing could ever take them from you and then you try and kill them your self. Don't you care about them at all anymore?" She asked trying not to let herself cry, she knew Klaus would come for her but she didn't know if he'd be able to save her.

"Do not speak of thing you know not of child." Mikael growled at her driving his hand into her chest and wrapping his hand around her heart. She could feel his fingers crushing the life from her, it would only take a slight twitch of his arm to end her right there, it wasn't the first time she'd felt this, but it had been only for a second last time.

"She's of no consequence to father, I'm here to give you exactly what you want why bother with her?" He asked, Mikael pulled his hand slowly from her chest with a smile on his lips mingled with shock.

"You actually came for this worthless girl?" Mikael asked, Klaus looked over at her with a look of uncertainty then back to Mikael.

"I came to kill you, nothing else." Klaus growled launching at him, Mikael readied his stake too fast for a normal person to see but Caroline saw.

"No!" She dug her nails into Mikaels arm pulling down as hard as she could drawing blood and she still only managed to move the stake inches. Klaus felt it as it scrapped the bottom of his heart, Kol grabbed Mikeal and Elijah dug his fingers into Mikaels chest but Caroline didn't watch.

She flashed over to Klaus pulling the stake out carefully and holding him on her lap tears falling freely as she checked to see if he was still alive.

"Klaus, Klaus please don't leave me." She pleaded holding his face trying to will him not to die, he put his hand over hers finally opening his eyes now that the pain was subsiding. She had saved his life, he was nearly unkillable and she had saved him from the one thing that would end him.

"Why, why did you do that?" He asked no manipulating endearments, or legitimate ones for that matter. His words were sober and serious he really had no idea why anyone would save him, Kol and Elijah were his blood, but they had been ready to let him die if it meant killing Mikael.

"Because I care about you you idiot." She told him he reached out taking up the white oak stake from the ground. He could feel the remnants of the holes in her hands, and smell her blood, Mikael had tortured her, and nearly killed him.

He got to his feet clutching the stake hard enough to turn his knuckles white as he pulled Elijah away from there father and drove the stake through his heart and watched him burn. Caroline watched him end his father, the man they had used against Klaus when he had tried to kill Elena again. She was really going to have to change things now.

Elijah and Kol were shocked that Klaus had actually killed there father, but neither one seemed to be bothered. Elijah looked back at Caroline who was still sitting on the floor since she still had her feet ripped apart, but before he could make a move to help her Klaus walked back to her.

He crouched down and scooped her up holding her bridal style while she wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned into his shoulder just letting him hold her and enjoying the sensation of having him so close.

"See I told you you'd carry me home." She whispered in his ear, he chuckled only she could bother to prove a point while she's gravely injured. He took her back home while Elijah and Kol burned the body.

"Why did you come for me?" Caroline asked when he got to her door, he looked down at her unsure of how to answer that. He knew what he would tell her, but if he were honest he was starting to enjoy her company.

"I didn't sweetheart, I came to kill my father." He told her setting her gently on her bed, she laughed shaking her head.

"If you say so, you still saved me so thank you having your heart ripped out is really something you only want to do once." Caroline told him as she tried to climb under the covers, puffy dress be damned. Klaus laughed at her effort grabbing the blanket and tucking her in, Caroline just stared at him while he helped her.

"Get some sleep love." He told her turning to leave, she smiled to herself she was getting to him and that was something.

The next hundred and sixty some years went by while there relationship inched in the right direction, Elijah left not long after Charlotte's death, and thirty years or so latter Rebekah came back, she hated Caroline at first of coarse, but they actually became rather good friends, they weren't so different after all and she hadn't been too put out by the no killing rule. So they were all friends now, and Klaus even trusted her after she helped him dagger Kol for betraying them to a coven of witches that his current girlfriend belonged to that tried to take Klaus' power for themselves.

Caroline thought it would be more like a horrible crawl through the years, but time actually went be at an acceptable rate to her. She was more then a little frustrated that Klaus still refused to admit that he had feelings for even though she knew he did at this point. He had only been with one other woman in the last century and Caroline had beaten her nearly to death when she'd found ou she was only using Klaus to become a vampire.

Caroline wasn't the jealous type, it hurt to see him with another woman, but she knew he'd come around, she had forever after all. Rebekah on the other hand had refused to speak to him for a decade for what he had done to hurt Caroline, which was funny. So now they were on there way to Mystic falls in an elegant carriage avoiding most of the civil war drama, though Caroline insisted on helping any black person she saw.

Rebekah found the concept almost as amusing as when Caroline had told them they couldn't interfere with the Indian/settler fighting unless they were endangering innocents. She thought it was hysterical that her big bad brother had let himself be leashed by little ol' Caroline.

"So how are we going about this love?" Klaus asked as they stopped in the town over, Caroline shook herself from her thoughts to answer him, he looked dashing in the crisp suites of the age.

"Well you two are staying here, if Kathrine gets wind that your in town she'll bolt so I'll go figure out where we stand and bring you guys in when I'm ready." She told them, Klaus and Rebekah sighed in unison.

"But we want to come too, why do you get to have all the fun?" Rebekah pouted so Klaus didn't have to Caroline laughed looking at the two of them you'd think they were twelve not hundreds of years old.

"Oh don't pout, you two can have fun here, I hear this place has the best shops." Caroline told her, Klaus grimaced but Rebekah looked sated for the most part.

"Don't leave me with this woman, I have no desire to watch her shop until my ears bleed." Klaus pleaded, Caroline laughed waving as she walked backwards away from them. Klaus Sighed slumping back in his chair to watch her go, not that he'd ever admit to it but it hurt him to be without her.

If he were honest he was madly in love with her, but he would not admit it she was with him and he would not give into her so long as she stayed by him. He feared her betrayal even though he had no reason to and it kept him at arms length, no she would have to come to him it was the only way to maintain some semblance of power in the relationship where she already had him whipped.

Caroline was in the plain dress of a common woman so she wouldn't stand out as she neared the Salvatore estate, it wasn't a boarding house yet. What she saw made her smile, Damon in a union uniform was tossing a foot ball with Stefan and they were laughing. She wished there was some way she could keep this from falling apart over Kathrine.

Almost as if summoned by the thought Kathrine came out in her pretty expensive dress and joined the game turning it into a competition between the brothers. Caroline sighed, eventually Stefan decided it wasn't worth it and left Damon and Kathrine to there games.

Caroline listened to the noise of the house and eventually heard what she wanted to hear, Stefan going to speak to his father about Kathrine, Caroline knew it wouldn't be long now before Stefan was dosed with vervaine and used as bait for Kathrine and the other vampires.

She'd have to be very careful not to be spotted by the compass, not that vervaine effected her any more she'd been taking it for over a hundred years. She didn't think Klaus would compel her at this point, but why take that risk. She stayed there for hours before she heard them taking Kathrine away to the carriage while the Salvatore brothers planned to save her.

Caroline used her witchy pendant to signal Klaus, she'd made them get one because she missed cell phones and followed the caravan of Vampire death staying far enough away to avoid the compass, she was glad they hadn't missed this, it seemed almost too perfect of timing. Maybe the spirits wanted her to change everything.

Seeing Kathrine brought back memories of Elena, most of them were good, but near the end she had been pretty bitchy, she'd even stolen her prom dress, but she didn't have time to get distracted by that. She wanted to help Kathrine, not because she liked her, but because she thought she could make Stefan and Damon's lives easier if she could.

"That where they got her love?" Klaus asked as Stefan and Damon tried to open the carriage so they could save Kathrine. Klaus was right behind her his hand on the small of her back as if he hadn't even realized he was touching her, and Rebekah was there on her other side looking at the scene unfolding before them.

"Yep, but you have to keep your pants on something has to happen first." She told him, he sighed waiting for her to give him leave to act, it made him seethe knowing she had him so whipped, but he had tried to strike out against it, killing or dating women he didn't care for and it had hurt her as intended, but that had hurt him more then he had expected, he didn't know what it was about her that made him smile when he was furious, and crushed him when she cried.

"Why are we waiting, I could have the moonstone by now if you didn't keep holding me back!" He ground the words out in that low deadly voice she had come to recognize as his cover for vulnerabilities like fear, anger, and sadness.

"Trust me you wouldn't, if you want to break this curse and still have a family and people you can trust with you when you do it you'll cool it." She told him, he wanted to snap, to be mad and lash out, but she had never steered him wrong and it may be his down fall, but he trusted her.

"Fine, but I assure you if I lose the moonstone there will be consequences." He offered the futile threat knowing it wasn't strictly true. Were it any one else he would lash out with his whole being maybe even kill them if they lost him the moonstone, but not her and it scared him which had him pushing her away while trying to keep her to himself.

"I'm aware, calm down." She told him, Rebekah laughed at them, but her good humor was cut off by the sound of two gun shots ringing out through the din. Caroline flashed forward taking Kathrine while the two of them tried to shake the shock of what they'd seen. Not that they cared that the two of them had been killed, but it had just been so unexpected.

They shook out of it and followed Caroline to somewhere safer, Klaus moved to take Kathrine from her, but Caroline put her hand on his chest gently and it was all it too to still him. He looked at her curiously but allowed her to stop him.

"I know you hate Kathrine, but you have to trust me, I'm gonna get you everything you really want if you trust me." She told him as they waited for Kathrine to wake up from the vervaine poisoning.

"And what is it that you think I want love?" He asked feeling rather confidant that she would get it wrong even though she knew him better then anyone else ever had.

"Love, loyalty, power, family, how am I doing so far?" She asked, he had no response to that, but Rebekah laughed.

"She does know you brother." His biting retort was cut off by Kathrine waking up with a groan of displeasure. All there attention shifted to her, Kathrine was shifty and none of them wanted to lose her.

"Hello, Katarina it's been ages." Klaus' voice was drawn out with the deadly undercurrent of amusement brought on by having her in his grasp after wishing so much punishment on her for taking away his chance at breaking the curse.

"Klaus, I..." Kathrine started, Caroline rolled her eyes stepping forward to cut off her desprate pleas.

"Stop, trust me he knows, look you have the moonstone and Klaus wants it back bring it to us and he'll stop chasing you." Caroline offered, Kathrine looked over at Caroline with sudden interest. She seemed to doubt that Caroline had any pull over Klaus.

"I'll what?" Klaus hissed, Caroline turned to him with a sigh while Rebekah watched Kathrine, she put her hands on his shoulders placatingly.

"Look I'm not saying you can't kill her if she comes up and says hi, I'm just saying you won't chase her, it's the best way to get the moonstone. So suck it up and get out of your own way for like two seconds, please." Caroline told him letting her hands drop down to his hands where she held them for a moment until he nodded.

"Good so we've got that cleared up now you're gonna take Rebekah and fetch the moonstone and then you're gonna leave, everybody wins." Caroline said with a smile, Kathrine was in shock by what she had just seen, Caroline had just changed Klaus' mind with a smile and a slight touch. No one could do that to him, to Niklaus the hybrid original.

"Who are you, how can I be sure you'll keep your word?" Kathrine asked in disbelief, Caroline scowled unshure as to why Kathrine was sticking around to ask any questions.

"Hello, I'm giving you an out here, Klaus give her your word you'll stop hunting her." Caroline told him, Klaus chuckled taking a step forward.

"You have my word Kathrine that once I have the moonstone I will not seek you out to kill you." Klaus promised, Kathrine gaped at him for a moment.

"You have a deal." Kathrine said flashing away, Rebekah followed her and Klaus turned back to Caroline.


	5. Chapter 5

"Perhaps next time you could warn me of my end of the deal before you try and make it." He told her, she smiled looking a little guilty.

"You would never have agreed to do it if I'd told you sooner and you know it, it was the only way to guarantee that you got the moonstone." She told him poking him in the chest, he put his hand over hers holding it to his chest.

"Your probably right love." He admitted, she smiled, it wasn't often that he agreed with her when he was wrong.

"I so am." She whispered moving closer to him, in the over a hundred years she'd spent with him she still hadn't had a second kiss and the anticipation was officially killing her.

"Thank you Caroline, I know I'm often difficult, but I do appreciate your help love." He told her leaning in himself, she knew he was only admitting it because they were alone, but she didn't mind. Her favorite moments with him were like this alone and honest.

"You're welcome." She whispered, he used his free hand to sooth a stray hair from her cheek she leaned into his touch letting her eyes flutter closed. She could feel him only a hairs breath away leaning in to kiss her, but then she heard Rebekah coming back and he was gone from the space in front of her and it left her cold.

"Am I interrupting?" Rebekah asked, Caroline sighed looking over at where Klaus was standing with his back to her.

"Yes." Caroline mouthed, Rebekah laughed silently until Klaus turned around after he had composed himself.

"Did you get my moonstone?" He asked getting right to the point, Rebekah held out the oval milky colored stone. Klaus snatched it happily examining it to be sure it was his moonstone.

"See, what did I tell you?" Caroline said with a smirk, he turned to her with a genuine smile, the one nearly no one ever got to see.

"I admit you came through love, now all we have to do is wait two hundred years." Klaus said taking the joy out of his admission, Caroline rolled her eyes.

"It's only a hundred and forty four years you big whiner, and to celebrate this awesome turn of events you're gonna take us to Paris, or Rome or something." Caroline told him, Klaus chuckled as Rebekah agreed with her wholeheartedly.

"I suppose we do have some time to kill, lets be off then." Klaus offered, Rebekah smiled ready to leave, but Caroline shook her head.

"There's one last thing I have to do here, then we can go. You two should get everything ready I'll be back in the morning." Caroline told them moving to leave, Klaus put his hand gently on her arm looking at her with concerned curiosity.

"Where are you off to love?"He asked, she put her hand over his with a sweet little smile that made his stomach flip.

"I just gotta talk to someone, nothing dangerous or anything. I'll be back in a little bit I promise, please Klaus, trust me." She told him, he nodded letting her go, which made her happy because it meant he trusted her at least a little. Caroline flashed away into the woods to find the lake Stefan had told her about so many years ago.

"You're going to follow her aren't you?" Rebekah asked Klaus while he watched her go for a moment. Klaus sighed deeply flashing after her not bothering to answer her, he knew she would go and get there affairs in order. He found her steeling herself for something near a young colored woman who was standing over the bodies of the two men who had tried to save Kathrine.

"What's so important about those two love?" Klaus whispered his lips brushing against the shell of her ear sending a shiver through her, then she rounded on him smacking him in the chest.

"You were supposed to trust me and go back with Rebekah you big freak." She told him as he put his hand over hers, it drove her crazy how they were always doing this, always touching like he cared for her but that was as far as she had ever managed to push it.

"That's not an answer love." He told her with a smirk, she rolled her eyes shushing him her eyes wide with worry that they might hear him.

"That one's Stefan, he saves your doppelganger's life, she was my friend okay, and she needs them, both of them. Please Klaus will you just trust me, I think I can really help them." She whispered, he looked down at her hand in his.

"I hurt you before when I broke the curse didn't I, that's why you won't tell me everything until I need to know isn't it?" He whispered, she smiled meekly looking at there hands, They were so close, but they kept holding each other at arms length, how could she expect him to trust her if she didn't trust him?

"Ya, you killed a lot of people I cared about even though you didn't have to, and we tried to kill you for it, it got pretty tense for a while, but then you saved me and I got to see this whole other side of you. So yes I, I have a hard time trusting you with this, but I promise we'll break the curse and nobody has to die for it." She told him with pleading eyes, he squeezed her hand gently nodding.

"I'll wait with you love, " He offered, and despite the fact that she wasn't sure she wanted Klaus to witness what she wanted to do to help them, but she was glad for the company. She had hours to wait maybe more, she couldn't talk to Damon until he'd transitioned, she didn't want to influence that decision in any way.

"So what are we waiting for love?" Klaus asked after the two of them had been up again for a few hours, at some point they had moved to lean against a tree and Caroline had rested her head on his shoulder while he played with a lose string on her dress.

"For them to transition, Stefan said Damon didn't turn until tonight." she told him running her fingers up his arm lightly tracing the ghost of a scar there from a sword fight.

"Then why did we come here last night love?" he asked cocking a skeptical brow at her, she smiled whimsically.

"I don't know what would we be doing if we weren't here, just packing and preparing all boring things that Rebekah is doing for us right now." She told him still focused on his arm, he chuckled quiet;y.

"And you think I'm evil." He joked twining his fingers with hers to stop her from continuously rubbing his arm. She sighed closing her eyes, while she couldn't see him he stared, he wouldn't tip his hand, but he would take moments like this because even if he'd never tell he was in love with her.

She didn't know  
how long she'd been content like that, but he squeezed her hand gently and she breathed in opening her eyes to see that it was dark and that Stefan was back with a girl. They watched the scene unfold, but she tried not to listen, she didn't want to know what he'd had to say to get Damon to feed, in her mind he was still her best friend, even if he was nothing like himself.

They fought, and Damon promised to make Stefan's eternal life a living hell and when he left Caroline followed with Klaus. Caroline appeared in from of him with vampire speed, he took a startled step back.

"Hello Damon, Kathrine sent me. She wanted me to tell you this was nobodies fault, it was all part of her plan. So don't blame Stefan, he only played a small part, she loves you both and it would bring her nothing but pleasure if you could be happy and move on with your life. Your brother needs you Damon, don't let him become the monster your father hunted." Caroline told him flashing back to Klaus so he couldn't berate her with questions.

"What was that about love?" He asked as he let her lead him back towards the town they were staying in.

"I think he might be sired to Kathrine, he needed to know she wanted him to move on or he'd wallow for the next hundred some years." She told him, he chuckled as they sped off, when they got there Rebekah was waiting irritably in there carriage, since she'd heard them coming.

"Took you two long enough, I'm bored lets go!" She told them, Caroline laughed letting Klaus help her up into the carriage.

"So where to love?" Klaus asked, they spent the next sixty years exploring all of Europe, and she still couldn't get past the almost kisses and hand holding. She was losing her mind, if she didn't get to kiss him soon she was just gonna jump his bones.

They met up with Elijah for a few years in England, and he'd confided in Caroline telling her he was seeing Katarina and that's why he had to go which made her giggle. Caroline was becoming quite the linguist with decades to while away learning them. Eventually they went to Chicago for the twenties and Caroline was practically giddy to see prohibition and flapper dresses.

They set up near Gloria's bar and they danced the nights away, she liked Gloria, but it was hard to get Klaus out on the dance floor, something about the way they danced made him feel uncomfortable, Gloria let her sing a few times when her cabaret singer didn't show up, and it seemed to mesmerize Klaus so all the more reason to do it.

"Come on Klaus dance with me?" Caroline made her nightly plea, he laughed at her in her little frilly red dress.

"No thanks love, I'm perfectly content here." He told her raising his glass to her, what he meant was he enjoyed watching her dance at a safe distance where she wouldn't realize the effect she had on him.

"Ugh, you never wanna dance, I know you can I've seen it." She sighed sticking her tongue out at him, it was getting harder to hide how easily she could arouse him. He hadn't felt the comfort of another in well over sixty years.

"Go pester Rebekah then." He told her, she shook her head she was starting to think he saw her in the same way he saw Rebekah. She spotted her at a booth, the man with her facing away from where Caroline was so she went up to see her latest victim.

"Who have we got here Bekah?" Caroline asked scooting into the booth before she looked over at Stefan who was holding Rebekah's hand.

"Stefan meet Caroline, my sister in law, Caroline this is Stefan Salvatore." Rebekah introduced them, Stefan offered her his hand.

"It's nice to meet you Caroline, I was just being charmed by your lovely sister." Stefan said politely, Caroline shook the shock away.

"Um, ya, it's a pleasure, our Rebekah is quite the charmer." Caroline managed, Rebekah rolled her eyes and Stefan looked over Caroline's shoulder.

"Ah Caroline, let me introduce my brother..." Stefan started, but he was interrupted by Damon sitting next to her.

"Oh we've met, haven't we doll?" Damon said giving her a knowing look, Caroline chuckled shaking her head.

"Once, how has eternal life been treating you Damon?" She asked, hoping he was over Kathrine so she wouldn't have to break it to him that she had never been in the tomb.

"Like a king, come on Caroline lets leave these love birds alone. Dance with me?" He said getting up and holding his hand out to her, she looked over at Klaus who was watching her from his table. She thought about saying she was taken, but to hell with it, she'd been waiting for centuries for him to make a move, it's about time he saw what he was missing.

"I'd love to." Caroline smiled sweetly, and Rebekah laughed knowing just what she was up to with Damon.

"So tell me about your self my sweet Caroline." Damon flirted as he pulled her onto the floor in time for a slow dance.

"Not much to tell, I came here with this guy Klaus, but he refuses to dance with me." She told him, Damon chuckled tucking a lose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"His loss, if I were here with a girl as beautiful as you I wouldn't let you out of my sights for a second." He whispered against the shell of her ear, she'd forgotten how good he was at this. Sure he'd been evil and he'd used her, but she'd never had a complaint about the sex.

"Good, I need a dance partner." She giggled, he leered spining her around and back into his chest dipping her down as if he might kiss her, but then she was dropped abruptly on the ground. She growled getting to her feet knowing exactly what had happened she went out to the back alley where Klaus was beating on Damon.

He was growling about how he'd never touch her again, never calling her his, but definitely laying claim to her in his own irritating hybrid original way. She walked over to him pushing him off Damon with a deathly glare.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked her tone laced with ice, she could hear Rebekah and Stefan hurrying out after her.

"You're lucky I didn't rip his heart out on the dance floor love." He told her avoiding her question, she huffed over to him poking him hard in the chest.

"That's not what I asked, why did you do anything at all?" She asked, he looked down at her hand covering it with his the way they always did.

"He was all over you." He whispered, not fond of having to explain himself when he  
knew that she knew exactly how he felt, he was giving her too much credit with her mind reading though.

"So what, it's not like you wanted to dance, you hardly even touch me, I might as well be your sister!" She yelled as Stefan scooped up Damon and Rebekah fussed over the two of them since Damon was bleeding and bruised.

"Don't be that way love." He pleaded avoiding looking at his sister since he was more then a little embarrassed by his forced demonstration of affection.

"No, I'm so sick of you pouting like you have feelings for me then refusing to do anything, well guess what Klaus, I'm here the music has started, so either start dancing or get off the floor!" She told him turning away from him in a huff, he didn't know what to do she had never walked away during one of there tiffs.

"Come on Rebekah let's get these two home." Caroline said putting herself under Damon's arm to help keep him up. Klaus took a faltered step towards her not sure what to say, he wanted to tell her how he felt, but he refused to show his weakness in front of the two men with them.

"Caroline." He whispered, her name a breathless prayer on his lips, but she just shook her head over two hundred years was more then enough time to get over it and make a move, obviously he didn't want to for some reason. For Christ sake she was Caroline Forbes, she should never have even started pining over him it was not how she worked, but she'd just been so sure he loved her.

They brought the Salvatore's to there respective apartments, Rebekah had stayed with Stefan, which was nice, she deserved someone decent, and Caroline took Damon home. She had gotten him a glass of scotch and blood, he was healing, but Klaus had thrashed him pretty well.

"Sorry about that, he, he's an idiot." Caroline told him when she handed him the glass, he downed it it one swig his face mostly clear of damage now. She sat next to him on his small couch, or love seat maybe, she never could tell the difference.

"I'd have done the same thing if you were my girl." He told her, she laughed leaning against his arm which was draped over the back of the couch.

"That's just it, I'm not even his girlfriend, he won't admit that he likes me, it's this stupid never ending circle of almosts. I haven't had sex in over two hundred years, do you know what that does to a girl?" She rambled not really thinking he was listening, Damon had never listened to her before. She huffed letting her eyes drift closed and before she had even realized what was happening Damon leaned over kissing her passionately, she returned his kiss momentarily then yelped pushing him off flashing to the other side of the room.

"Wow, no, you're, no Damon, I love Klaus." She told him, her hand over her lips she'd forgotten how well he kissed, she was so hard up right now even he could ge her going, but she knew better.

"You said your self he doesn't care, I have no delusion that this will go anywhere, but why can't we take solace in tonight?" He asked getting up and running his hands over her arms lightly kissing her neck when she didn't pull away.

"Damon, I, no okay, not that I wouldn't enjoy it, but I would only feel worse tomorrow, thank you though, for reminding me of the life I used to have. I'm gonna go." She told him flashing out of his place, there would be no more pining, if Klaus didn't want to man up then she was done humoring him, she would show him what he was missing.

She walked home at a rather slow human speed, let Klaus sweat, she even stopped by a little shop. It was fun exploring the night, or it was until a slightly overweight man with black hair and a creep smile came up to her. She shot him a warning glance and he laughed and shot her in the heart with what was obviously a wooden bullet.

"Don't worry little vampire we're gonna have some fun!" His twisted calm voice told her as he fired the remaining five rounds into her chest.

Klaus had seethed for hours wishing she'd given him a chance to respond with out the prying eyes, but after a while he started to worry. She hadn't come back and it has his blood boiling imagining her with that worthless scrap of a vampire, she was his, sure he hadn't told her that but she knew, the way she looked at him, she had to know right?

He had left there apartment to track her down after only five hours, he hoped he'd find her wandering the streets just trying to calm down, but his darker side knew he'd find her in the arms of that whelp. He made it about half way there when he smelled something that sucked the air from his lungs, it was her blood.

He flashed over to where he smelled it, there were splatters of her blood on the wall and a rather unnervingly large stain where her blood had pooled. He followed the trail until it went cold he went back soaking his handkerchief in some of the blood that was still damp.

He had to keep calm, this was not the first time someone had threatened the life of someone he cared for, and the blood would be the fastest way to track her, but he was finding it hard to keep his emotions at bay. For some reason her absence had his stomach in knots.

It took him only seconds to get where he knew she'd been last, the door splintered under his hand as he crashed in with little effort. He grabbed Damon by the throat pinned to a wall, his eyes dark with fury.

"What did you do to her!?" He growled ready to rip his heart out with out a second thought, Damon's eyes bugged out and he looked confused.

"We didn't do anything." He choked out in all honesty, he dropped him to the floor still holding his collar so he was forced to look him in the eye.

"Tell me everything that happened after she left my sight." He ordered his eyes dilating with compulsion.

"She brought me here, made me a drink, she complained about you, I propositioned her, she turned me down and left. I drank for a while then you broke through my door and threatened me." Damon told him Klaus threw him across the room disappearing out onto the street.

"Gloria!" Klaus yelled when he got back to the club, Gloria had never heard him sound so distraught she came down from her apartment above the club hurriedly.

"What's goin on hun?" She asked he flashed in front of her holding out the handkerchief covered in her blood.

"Find her!" He growled his eyes still dark with uncontrollable emotion, she took it from him moving to set up a locator spell in the gray light of dawn.

"I'm gonna need to know who I'm lookin for hun." She told him as calmly as she could manage, she didn't need him any more upset then he was.

"Caroline." His voice was laced with a rasp of desperation that worried even Gloria, Gloria didn't know Caroline nearly as well as Rebekah, or Klaus, but she liked the innocent little blond.

Caroline woke up in a cell not even big enough to stand in, she felt like she'd been here before, why was she always the one kidnapped by psycos. She was over two hundred now she thought she was past this.

She sat up trying to dig the crude wooden bullets out of her chest but as soon as whoever was in the shadows outside her cage saw her move they shot her in the head. When she woke up again she was nailed to a chair with a half a dozen jagged stakes four in her arms and two through her feet.

"Don't villains ever think of anything new?" She mumbled to herself as a blinding light switched on, she closed her eyes against the pain of sudden searing light.

"I'm sure I can think of something little vampire, I'll admit you are the most resilient vampire I've had in here which is saying something since I've cut on about sixteen a ya now. Don't worry ya ain't gonna kill ya right off, I'll let ya bleed for a while and once I've bled ya dry then I'll end it for ya." He told her gesturing to something under her. She looked down and noticed there was a large pan collecting the blood that was dripping from her multiple wounds.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, she had a pretty good guess, but the longer she kept him talking the longer she got to stay alive. Klaus would find her, she just had to give him the time to get to her.

"Well doll I ain't know if you know this or not, but vampires is some mighty evil folks but you got one good use, if I bleed ya dry I can use your blood to help folks who deserve it." He told her coming into the light with a long thin curved blade. She watched him move closer slowly.

"You know I'm not in this city alone right, Klaus will come for me, and he'll rip you apart weather I'm alive or dead. If you leave now you might actually live through this." She told him, he smirked running the blade up her leg cutting deep to bleed her as quickly as he could.

"I've dealt with that before, just means I'll have two leeches to bleed." He chuckled slicing open her other leg, she grit her teeth against the pain refusing to give him the pleasure of hearing her in pain.

"If I'm more resilient then most of the vampires you've seen then Klaus is going to be a big shock, he's more then twice my age." She told him, she had no idea how long she'd been out, but she didn't think she had a long time before she started to desiccate. After a few more cuts he turned away to get rid of his knife and she ripped her arm off the stakes.

"Hey!" He had left the light but apparently he was still looking at her and before she could rip more then one of the stakes from her other arm he shot her in the head. She was really getting sick of being shot.


	6. Chapter 6

Gloria's spell told him where she was and the distance that would have taken hours to cross took only minutes at vampire speed. Had he been anyone but the original hybrid he would have been exhausted. He made no attempt at stealth, he flashed down the metal stairs of the wearhouse where he'd been told she was and took a bullet to the head.

His neck snapped back at the force and his eyes went dark with rage and he snapped the mans neck before he had to stop and will the bullet from his skull. It dropped to the ground after considerable pain and he looked around for Caroline.

He felt bile raise in his throat at the sight before him, Caroline was desiccated cut on, with stakes in her limbs and a bullet in her head. He flashed to her side pulling out the stakes, her eyes were closed and he had no idea if she were even alive.

He could feel panic reaching up from his heart to consume him and he had to swallow it before he was no good to her. He looked around until he found something to dig the bullet out with, he felt sick as he dropped the hunk of wood on the floor.

He went over to the dead guy and drained him dry so he could feed Caroline, if she'd been conscious he would have let her feed directly. He pulled her from the chair onto the floor where he held her in his lap. He bit his wrist tilting back and covering her mouth with the open wound.

His chest grew heavy with panic when she didn't move to drink at first, but after a moment she gasped nearly choking on his blood before gulping it down ravenously. She wrapped herself around him as her wounds healed, she had always loved the way he tasted, like spiced hot chocolate almost.

"You saved me, again." She whispered, he was nearly in tears with the joy of having her alive and in his arms. He pulled her into his chest clinging to her for a moment before pulling her back and kissing her breathless.

She had forgotten how soft his lips were in contrast to the rough stubble on his chin, and how perfect they felt against hers. She reached up ignoring the pain as she tangled her fingers in the soft curls of his hair deepening the kiss.

He had never tasted her before and even after such an ordeal she was sweet, like strawberries and the honeyed brandy she'd been drinking before she'd been taken. He let his eyes drift closed so he could enjoy her without distraction.

She moaned opening her mouth to him her velvet tongue darting out to tangle with his in a struggle of desperation to assure the other that they were still alive. They didn't break apart for a long time neither strictly needing to breath, and when they did Caroline Smiled wickedly.

"If I'd known all it would take to get you to admit that you wanted me was my near death I'd have done it centuries ago, oh wait..." She started but was cut off as he kissed her again, this time with less desperation and more passion, it sent a flush through her body.

"Shut up love." He whispered, she laughed grabbing his collar and kissing him, he scooped her up getting to his feet.

"Lets get you home." He told her flashing out of the building and back towards there apartment holding her close. He took her to his bed not hers and set her down on the soft bedding gently.

"Rest now love." He told her soothing her hair back gently, she took his hand pulling him into the bed so she could lay on his shoulder while he held her.

"Why were you so against this?" She whispered letting his touch sooth away the pain of the slowly healing wounds. He kissed the top of her head still frightened by the idea of having such an obvious weakness for her.

"My whole life I have never trusted anyone the way I trust you, you could destroy me in an instant if you so choose, and that is hard for me to handle love." He told her quietly, she nodded slightly, she had suspected as much, but it was nice to hear him admit it.

"You know that means I won right, I seduced you the big bad Niklaus fell for little ol' me?" She told him with a giggle, he rolled his eyes kicking off his boots.

"For the first time in my life I'm happy to lose, in fact feel free to stake claim to your victory any time you want love." He told her pulling off his shirt, she blushed toeing out of her own shoes and curling up against him to sleep until her wounds were healed.

They were both startled into consciousness by Rebekah bursting through the door to Klaus' room. She was in quite the huff too, Klaus sat up giving her a look of board irritation.

"Did you chase down Stefan's brother last... Oh dear lord did you two finally sleep together!?" Rebekah asked seeing the state the two of them were in, Caroline blushed hiding her face in the pillow.

"Yes to the first, not in the way you're implying to the second, someone tried to kill our dear Caroline last night, I intervened." He explained his fingers still entwined with hers, it was nice finally being with him she finally understood what he had said to her at the dance. Funny that it had been a twenties era dance when he'd said it, "some day."

It hadn't made sense when he said it how could he be willing to wait for potentially centuries just for her. There was nothing special about her, not really, that's why everyone had always loved Elena first, even Tyler. Now though she got it, it wasn't about how special she was in her own mind, or how special he was in his. It was about how they effected each other, how special he was to her and how he made her feel, and that was more then worth waiting for.

They took everything delightfully slow, they danced and they held hands and they courted each other every night. It was perfect, it was five years after that night they were in Rome, Rebekah had left with Stefan, when they finally ended a night in bed.

He'd taken her to the theater, she'd learned to really love the theater, and they'd had dinner on a cliff side, he'd compelled these waiters to serve them this ridiculous romantic meal with music and flowers. They walked for hours under the moonlight and when the sun kissed the horizon he'd been talking about how she'd changed him, and he'd finally admitted he loved her.

She'd kissed him and there in Rome on a Sunday morning with the pale light of dawn on there backs she'd finally gotten to have him. It was perfection if ever she'd felt it, they ended up in there hotel room at some point some lost clothes and stumbled steps, but he wanted it to be in there bed.

Ten years later Rebekah and Stefan came back with Damon to witness there wedding, where she was treated like a queen in her priceless dress, and the perfect groom. Later Damon had saved Elena when she fell off that bridge, and they fell in love. Elijah came to Mystic falls with Kathrine to help deal with Ester they even woke up Kol for it.

The curse had been lifted without a single permanent death, and once Ester was gone they woke up Fin and introduced him to Caroline Mikaelson. Damon fell had for Elena and she for him, she didn't even meet Stefan until four years after she found out Damon was a vampire, and they had no feelings for each other.

On Elena's twenty fourth birthday Caroline turned her as per her request and decades later there they all still were, Klaus Finally had everything he ever dreamed of. He had loyal friends, family, and a wife. A wife he could trust with his life without a second thought, all in all things turned out perfectly, it didn't mater what came there way, together they could handle anything, even Silas.

**-The End-**


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